Many women experience dry skin during pregnancy, but fortunately, there are a few ways to deal with it. For starters, an individual may find that drinking plenty of fluids, especially water, helps to reduce the problem of dry skin. Using moisturizing creams and lotions on a daily basis may prove helpful as well. Likewise, a pregnant woman may work to prevent or eliminate dry skin by avoiding bathing in water that is overly hot. Using moisturizing soaps and avoiding those that strip oils from the skin or contain a lot of perfumes and dyes may help as well.
While dry skin is a common problem during pregnancy, this doesn’t mean a woman should have to suffer through it. One way to handle dry skin during pregnancy is to start with the inside of the body. In many cases, a pregnant woman’s skin is overly dry because she does not consume enough liquids on a daily basis. To fix this, a woman may increase her fluid intake, especially water.
The use of a daily moisturizer may also help to soothe dry skin during pregnancy. For example, a woman may find it helpful to moisturize her skin each time she bathes as well as before she dresses in the morning or gets ready for bed at night. She may also do well to pay special attention to the parts of her skin that are stretching during pregnancy, such as the abdomen, buttocks, and thigh region. These are often parts of the body that become very itchy and dry.
The soaps and skin cleansers a woman uses may also contribute to dry skin during pregnancy. Some soaps strip the skin of its natural oils and contribute to excessive dryness. Others may include perfumes and dyes that irritate the skin and contribute to dryness. The best soaps and skin cleansers for use during pregnancy are often those that are mild and intended to moisturize the skin.
Soaking or showering in very warm or slightly hot water may seem to be a good idea when dealing with dry skin during pregnancy. The reality, however, is that bathing in hot water can make dry skin worse. Likewise, too frequent bathing may serve to dry out the skin as well. Instead, a pregnant women may do well to bathe a little less frequently. For example, bathing in warm water every other day rather than daily may help.
